“I hate Monday!” Have you ever heard that whine? Do you feel the same way, too? After the weekend (some is only Sunday, and some is Saturday and Sunday that is for those who has the privilege of five days work) it feels very hard to get up in Monday morning and go to work.

“I can’t believe that we’re going back home” uttered my wife on our way to the Kingsford-Smith airport, Sydney, leaving for Surabaya via Singapore. In fact thay we’ve already spent 2 weeks in Australia. The first week was occupied with my arranged speaking duty as well as launching my latest released book: 100 Inspiring Stories for Greater Success, in Adelaide, and the second week was spent in Sydney where I was scheduled to lead a Family Seminar.

Everytime I travel far-especially to destinations that require more than 20 hours to reach like America or Canada- the word ‘home’ can have multiple interpretations. Eventhough I am excited to go on my duty trip Overseas, ‘home’ means ‘time to get back to work’ or -romantically and philosophically- means ‘missing my hometown dearly’.

It is the second meaning that often came to me when I was abroad. As soon as I got home, my wife would serve us with Indonesian traditional food like Nasi Pecel, and trust me it has never tasted that good. My youngest son almost finish the rice for the four of us he he. Our tongue gets homesick too for not enjoying Indonesian food for too long. The longing gets worse because while in Australia we didn’t eat any Indonesian food at all. Especially when in Kangaroo island whereby our daily menus were burger and fish & chips! Even the taste of tartar sauce that starting of as amazing later turned sour. Once back to ‘home’, works are piling up. Dirty hallway, messy house, a car that engine won’t start for being unused for too long, are just some of the ‘iceberg tip’ of seemingly never ending works.

In a recent holiday, I washed clothes from 7 in the morning until 6 in the evening. A new record for me. Going away at winter time results in more laundries than at summer time. Moreover to places with snow, we need to bring extra clothes like longjohn, sweater, thick coat, all that caused the laundry to pile up higher. “Laundry service them, Mom!” suggests my oldest son and I quickly agreed. But my wife disapproval head shake made us do all the sweat. Actually, after our last housemaid left to get married we haven’t had any replacement yet. Not long before we could enjoy the relaxing rest after the overnight flight plus jetlag, my youngest son suddenly announced “We’re invited to big family gathering at Tree Tops Trawas!” My teen son did get overwhelm although he must be exhausted after the trip. On the contrary, our not teen anymore bodies chose to rest at home he he. “Let’s gather later in the evening” answered my wife that followed with a choired voice “Agree!”

Back to the phrase “I hate Monday!” that represents our reluctance to get back to work after holiday. Can we turn it to “I love Monday!”? Absolutely!

These are the tips that work for me all these times:

Everyday is a good day

When I got married, I didn’t bother to look for ‘the good day’. Worse, we tied the knot in a month that was not good according to many beliefs. However, to us, and our big family, we thought oppositely. In those not so good days, the rental fee of venue, MC, the band, and food are far cheaper than in the busy days.

Same applies on Monday. Monday is the same as Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. So, love Monday like any other day. Why should we discriminate Monday like the evil Stepmother. We didnt conceive, carry, labor, nor raise it up he he.

Start it well

“When your morning is right, your day will be bright!” That’s the motto of “Morning Worship” meeting that I join every Wednesday morning. Although I have to wake up much earlier than usual, I enthusiastically follow the meeting. Why? Because I meet enthusiastic people there. Enthusiastic is contagious.

Berangkat dengan semangat

Kerja dengan giat

Pulang dengan selamat

It literally means: going work eagerly, working hardly, going home safely. That is the motto of a furniture company that has just invited me to motivate its employees.

“You are lucky Mr Xavier, you get to travel for holiday every year,” expressed my friend, a middle-age woman who treated our family to a feast at Hurricane’s Grill, Circular Quay, Sydney.

In my case, the word ‘holiday’ is not 100% accurate. It’s true we go for overseas holiday every year, but it’s not always like a normal holiday. Most of the times I get invited for giving speech in a spiritual camp or seminar. Being have to leave home country for a while -around 2 weeks- thus I am using the chance to enjoy the holiday with my family.

Personally, salary wise, overseas holiday can be regarded as luxury that I don’t always be able to afford.

For that reason, I need to remind myself to work harder-earn more and more- to make our family holiday possible.

Am I not the one who gets invited? It means that I get my ticket and accomodation covered. But what about my family member? I still need to purchase for their tickets and other things. To some, holiday is a waste of money. To me, holiday is a means of keeping a balance. Nothing is cheap, or even free, to fight for that life balance. If it’s not balance, one could collapse! I wrote once in online publishing about my brother who realized the meaning of going for family holiday after injured from an accident.

Work is worship

There still people out there who think working is a form of God’s curse.They misinterpret the reason of Adam and Eve’s eviction from Eden Garden is due to the breaking of God’s commandment. If we read the Holy Bible carefully, we know that God commands us to work far before Adam fell into sin. Thus, work is blessing, not cursing.

Therefore if we value work as worship, we can view working gratefully. The logical consequence is love your work. I agree to what Steve Jobs had stated: “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” This kind of mental attitude helps us to keep motivated at work after any holiday.

Let us keep this four pillars so that ‘Life House’ we built for years doesn’t collapse in one swing!